


The end of the world can wait

by boxofwonder



Series: I took the stars from our eyes / And then I made a map [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira in dresses, And maybe the apocalypse, Historical, It is what we deserve, Kisses, Kurusu Akira is a drama queen, M/M, Rain, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 06:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15358335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxofwonder/pseuds/boxofwonder
Summary: The rain keeps drumming, doing who-knows-what to the make-up so carefully brushed on for him by Lala, and that is an injustice the heavens have to answer for.In the distance, someone’s voice rises above everything, high and unsettling, screaming of sin and the apocalypse come, a flood to flush them all away. Akira wishes the flushing would happen faster and take that nutcase with it.





	The end of the world can wait

**Author's Note:**

> Akira is my favourite drama queen.

“Missy, you cannot -”

Careless, Akira tosses a bundle of coins into the coachman’s lap and throws the door open. The street greets him with chaos and storm, the rain carried by cold wind with enough force to make it feel like being met by a wall. Indignant shouting of the coachman makes him take that last step forwards and out, almost slipping in the slick mud over uneven cobblestones. Akira throws the carriage door closed and lifts the edge of his skirt, eagerly soaking up the rainwater to make it all the heavier, but the edge is already ruined.

He squints at the world around him, a blur of chaos. He has not made it far, but neither could have Akechi, could he? Not in this storm, not with the streets clogged by carts and people trying to scream against the chaos. Someone barrels into Akira’s shoulder and he forces himself to walk, walk, walk. Blindly, towards port. 

The ship won’t leave tonight. It cannot. Akira will find him and drag Akechi back at the lapels of his ridiculous expensive coat if he has to. 

Someone jostles him harder, heavy boots splashing more dirty water onto Akira’s beautiful dress. He curses under his breath and tries to push the long strands of dark hair out of his face, dripping and blinding him even more. 

The rain keeps drumming, doing who-knows-what to the make-up so carefully brushed on for him by Lala, and that is an injustice the heavens have to answer for. 

In the distance, someone’s voice rises above everything, high and unsettling, screaming of sin and the apocalypse come, a flood to flush them all away. Akira wishes the flushing would happen faster and take that nutcase with it. 

But then he sees it - a glimpse of white.  _ White,  _ in this weather. There is only one person stubborn and foolish enough to wear white in this weather, and Akira gathers his skirts as best as he can and shoves  _ onwards.  _ He doesn’t care about the masses around him, the shrieks, the chaos. 

The hint of white and gone again, there and gone again. 

“AKECHI!” It’s not good enough. After everything they have been through - after this summer together at the mansion - has he not earned the right to - 

“GORO!” he screams at the top of his lungs. Before him, a little girl loses her dirty little plush bunny, and Akira can’t help but duck down and pick it up. As he passes her by, he closes her hand around it, and her face ready to twist into crying gets startled into a smile. He smiles back fleetingly and then keeps running. 

His voice explodes over the storm, the screams, the masses. “GORO!” 

And he falters, at last. Akira sees Akechi - sees Goro getting jostled by the people flooding around him, puzzled. 

“GORO!” Akira shouts again, and shoves a man who had rudely pushed an elderly lady coming from the opposite direction. It is maybe a little petty, but it makes Akira faster, too. 

Goro abruptly holds in his steps, eyes wide. 

Akira’s heart races, lungs burn, and he shouts as he throws himself at Goro. They stumble, slip, go down into the mud. Akira straddles him, skirt burying whatever was left of white in mud and dirt. Goro’s hair is plastered to his face, water clinging to his skin. His lashes stick together, and Akira sees the way he takes it in - the wrecked wig, the dripping makeup. All of it. 

People around them break into complaints and Goro and Akira think the same, shuffled backwards until they’re tucked into the archway of a house, Goro half-propped against the door, Akira in his lap. People still stumble over the rest of the skirt spilling out beyond their little recluse, but it’s ruined anyways, and Akira just presses closer. “Hey,” he says, smoothing his fingers through Goro’s dripping hair. It gets curly when it dries after being rained on, Akira can’t wait for that.

The rain left him ice cold, but their touch is warm, and when Akira presses their lips together, the way their sighs make their breath mingle is warm, too. 

“Akira,” Goro says in wonder, and gasps softly when Akira kisses him again, deeper, with more intent. 

The rain drums on Akira’s back and the stupid strands of his wig drip down on Goro. “It’s you,” Akira breathes. “Whatever it takes.”

This way, Goro won’t flinch away. Won’t wither under the glances. This way, Akira can kiss him toppled in the middle of the sidewalk. He pulls away, panting, and they look at each other.

“Haven’t you heard?” Goro asks, his voice darker. It lost its pleasant cadence, closer to the petty, terrible man Akira had uncovered and fallen for, during this long, hot summer. Honesty has always looked its best on Akechi Goro, all his jagged edges in the open, sharp eyes glinting. “It’s the apocalypse, apparently.”

“That’s new,” Akira breathes back, because even entranced by the feverish look in Goro’s eyes his mouth knows to bullshit. 

Goro reaches up and buries his fingers in the wig, and wrenches it away. That goes on the list of things Akira went lengths to to procure and has now seen lost to mud and rain. 

“That  _ hurt, _ ” he gasps, and Goro soothes his long fingers over Akira’s aching scalp and eases him back towards him, into another long, long kiss. “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought I’d leave and never knew what had become of you.”

“As you always do?” Akira looks at him, hard, and even though Goro winces, he doesn’t avert his eyes.

“Yes. But it’s never - nobody ever -” He shivers and pulls Akira against him, their wet clothes pressed together. They’re both so cold, but Akira presses his cheek against Goro’s wet neck. “Nobody ever tried to make me stay,” he confesses, voice achingly soft. 

Just hearing that soothes the storm inside Akira. He doesn’t know why, but his only thought is  _ I promised I wouldn’t be too late again. _

“I’d tie you up and carry you back,” he says instead, and he smiles as he  _ feels _ Goro’s chuckle. That’s how close they are. 

“I don’t think that’d be necessary,” Goro tells him, all self-important air. “Whatever happens, we can’t do much soaked as we are, right? It’d be smarter to just go back.”

“You really know how to seduce someone,” Akira sighs, and pulls away. For now. Only for now. 

He offers Goro his hand, and relishes in showing off as Goro takes it and Akira uses all his strength to pull him up easily, with enough force to make Goro stumble into his chest. 

“Like a strong lady?” he drawls, and Goro scoffs. 

“Show me that strength getting us through that crowd. A storm hits and the world goes insane. All these fanatics finally found -”

Akira tugs Goro out of their little space and back into the crowd, the mess of carriages scattered across the street, nervous horse ears twitching, chanting people of faith preaching doom and hope against each other. “Save it for in front of the chimney!”

If the world decides to end, Akira will get to work preventing that tomorrow. 

But tonight he’s going to make sure his ace detective will never even think of leaving again. 

**Author's Note:**

> The first draft of this did not include the maybe-apocalypse. Oh, editing. The bane of my existence and yet the core of all polished fun.
> 
> Is the world ending? Will they stay together here or get on that boat and explore the world? Who knows! But Akira will definitely wear tons of dresses and that is for certain.


End file.
